So, those of you who have done this before, what will we need once the baby is born? What do we not need but would be nice to have? What is pretty much useless and just targets people like me who have no real clue? ;-)

We plan to cloth diaper and breastfeed. We're going to have to use daycare at least for the first bit, can you even cloth diaper at daycare or is that something that will have to be exclusive to home?

DH asked last night "So, how much will we want to have in terms of clothes?"

Some place to set baby whether it is a bouncy chair/swing/pack and play

I love my changing table but I know people that never touch theirs so thats a personal prefrence

Boppy/Brest Friend

A nice carrier, I like the Moby

As far as clothes go my daughter never wore newborn, wore 0-3 for a month, and then was in 3-6 for 3 months. It all depends on the size of the baby and how fast they grow. Since this is your first if you have a baby shower everyone will get you a ton of clothes, don't be scared to return them, I end it up with so much stuff my daughter never wore. Also since you are breastfeeding and plan on using daycare you will probably want to invest in a good pump to use, I'm not really sure about the cloth diapers in daycare question though.

-Carseat (I will use an infant carrier for the few few months then switch to a convertible, same as I did with ds)

-Diapers (be careful on sizing- I bought a bunch of "newborn" size diapers for ds and he didn't fit in them when he was born. Unfortunately I also opened them up to fill the little diaper thingy on his changing table so I couldn't take them back!)

-Somewhere to put the baby down (co-sleeper, crib, bassinet, pack n play, bouncy, whatever you fancy). You will have to pee at some point so having a safe place to lay baby is a good thing!

-Blankets (it is not safe to put baby in a big snowsuit in the carseat so instead you dress baby warm and then place a blanket (or two) over the baby and carseat) I also used blankets to swaddle ds, though now they have specific swaddling blankets. I know nothing about them though!

-Clothes (be careful on sizing and DON'T take off tags until baby is here! Again, I bought a ton of newborn clothes for ds and washed them all before he was born. He didn't fit in them and I couldn't return them once he was born).

-Pump if you are going to pump while working or whatnot. This time I have just a hand pump to get a little milk every once in awhile so I can leave baby with dh to go to the gym and stuff. You will also need storage bags for the milk and bottles (don't go overboard on the bottles though because some babies will only use specific bottles so you'll have to figure it out when baby gets here)

Nice to have-

-Somewhere to change baby (not necessarily a changing table, just somewhere to gather all diaper supplies. This time we will have a pad on the top of baby's dresser with a basket of supplies)

-Boppy/breastfeeding pillow

-swing (some babies like it, some don't)

-Sling/carrier

-jogging stroller (we love ours and still use it with my 7 year old)

-pack n play (we travel a lot so we'll get one so baby has a safe place anywhere we go)

-exersaucer. I know this is controversial but I found that babies really do like them and if used in moderation are not a bad thing! If it keeps baby happy for 10 minutes while I throw dinner together, GOOD!

-high chair. I had the traditional high chair with ds and it worked okay. This time we'll get one of those that attach to a regular chair because we have a fairly small eating area.

-Something to catch baby spit up. This can be a rag or burp cloth or whatever but they really save mamas clothes so you don't have to change your shirt a dozen times a day!

-Bibs. Again, nice to catch spit-up so you don't have to change baby a dozen times a day

I am focusing on 0-3 and 3-6 month clothes. I will only buy a couple newborn things and will keep tags on them. Some babies are smaller than others (dh was 5lb at birth) and will actually fit in newborn clothes for awhile. Some babies are bigger (ds was just under 9lbs) and never fit in newborn clothes.

Most daycares will not use cloth diapers. If you start looking now, though, you might get lucky and find one!

Thanks. On the carseat, obviously we will buy one for the car (which we maybe use once or twice a month for big errands). The rest of the time, we stick to walking and public transportation. I'm assuming that the baby would be safest in a sling or whatnot than in a car seat while on the bus. Not to mention less cumbersome. Does this sound right?

If you are doing mainly walking and public transportation I would totally use a sling.

You might even consider skipping the infant carseat and going straight for a convertible if you will only be using it once or twice a month. Perhaps a Scenera? I think they fit newborns fairly well. You might consider posting in the family safety forum and seeing what they recommend.

For clothes - how many you will need will depend on how often you want to do laundry. Babies tend to generate more than you may expect. As far as car seats go, sounds like a convertible would do best for you, since you wouldn't use it often. We have a My Ride 65 and I think it would be great for a newbie. It goes up to a high weight rear-facing as well. My giant almost-2-year-old is still rear-facing in it.

NicoleBusy with my two boys. The 'big boy' too.Oh, and a sweet baby girl, born at home in October.

A couple of downtime at home with the baby, not rushing around too much :) I really liked this the last time.

Frozen meals in the freezer for at least 6 weeks (I have 7 other kids and although the are all really willing to help around the house I have found that having some meals that I could just take out and defrost on crazy days, really helped)

A few outfits. I never buy a lot until the baby is here because we don't find out the gender. Als, I was every day so I don't need loads in the beginning until I can get to the store!

Must have:
Moby wrap
All in one cloth dipes and some Pampers Newborn Swaddlers
Baby sleepers with no snaps or buttons or zipper in the back
Burp cloths
Thermal baby blankets for swaddling
Car seat (we are car people)
Warm blankets for being outside
Wipes, flannel and disposable
I rent a good pump, bc I work
So, bottles for the breast milk
All Free and clear clothing detergent

Love it:
Bouncy seat for when you cook and shower
Baby towels
Hats
Shirts and pants and socks from Baby Gap and Zutano
Ring sling
California Baby Wash and Lotion

Hannah, Wife to R , Mama to Alexander, born 2-15-08,and Gabriel, born 10-17-11. Ask me about cleft lip and palate!

changing table (ds is disabled and can not get down on the floor so a changing station is necessary for us)

ergo, sling, and mobi wrap

We are ecers so.....

at least 1 bblp (baby bjorn little potty) and a potty bowl

lots of waterproof pads to lay on the ground

clothes that are easy to get on and off (nightgowns with baby legs, shirts and pants, no snaps, etc

arms reach cocoon hammock

high chair

Nice to have:

co-sleeper

extra ergo

stroller

swing or bouncer

as far as cloth diapers at day care that depends on your area and the day care. There are plenty places here that will use cloth. Our moms day out progam will.

I wanted to say that I DO NOT buy things new. it is not necessary most of the time (car seat and breast pump would be the exceptions). look on craigslist, garage sales, consignment stores, etc. You do not need to spend a lot of money. Babies really do not need to be expensive. The more clothes and diapers you have the less you have to do laundry so that depends on your preference.

3.-c a variety of bottles if you're planning on bottle feedings. Not all bottles/nipples are equal. See which works best for your baby in terms of flow, making them gassy etc.

4. Recieving blankets

5. Car Seat

6. Stroller (for me anyway, this is essential. We live in a village of sorts, so we walk for many of our errands-groceries, drs, shopping, all of it.)

7. Clothing. I really like dressing the baby in layers. Some onesies, soft little stretch pants, long sleeved shirts, sweaters, and socks or booties. You'll also need a few hats. You don't really need a snow suit for a baby this age, or a winter coat, if your baby is going to be staying in a car seat while outside. Just a lot of warm blankets. Car seat covers are nice for keeping the baby nice and warm.

8. Diapers, wipes and bum cream

9. A sleepy spot. (crib, bassinette, co sleeper etc.)

Nice, but not 100% essential

play pen

nursing bras/pads. (i did without these for baby no. 1 without much notice.)

swing

highchair. (you'll need one of these later...but not until at least 4 months.)

These lists always highlight how different we all are. We found the following items the MOST useful with ds:

-lots of receiving blankets (to lay under him for changing, to clean up messes, to swaddle him, etc.)

-a baby carrier (we loved our ring slings but I think a stretchy wrap would be nice during the newborn phase)

-a convertible carseat (although this time we will be getting a bucket simply because with the winter it will be easier to get baby all situated & covered in the warm house - last time we were in warm weather so this wasn't a consideration)

-our changetable/dresser - we pretty much always changed him here & it was nice having everything at hand.

Things we found utterly useless:

-the swing

-the playpen

-the stroller

As for clothes we found we didn't go through a lot of baby clothes but I wash them with our clothes so it was easy to keep up with them (if you wash separately it would take a lot of clothes to make a full load). As others said we didn't find newborn sizes got much use & we went through 0-3 very fast. I am finding that ds as a toddler goes through a LOOOOOT more clothes than we ever did when he was a baby.

Nothing more to really add, all these mamas got it dailed in.
Must have:
Good friends on speed dial to come cook you food
Or love on baby while you shower. I asked for this at my shower: )
Cloth dupes for burp cloth/ catch all spills leaks.
Low wattage bulb for your nursery or bedroom. Fits a standard sockebu is super
Dim...I agree about the chNging table we bought a dresser that was the right height
For us and then topped it with a pad. One piece two uses.
Bras, comfy all around yoga pants like Lululemon are great. They
Go from bed to grocery store win no one being the wiser : ) they are spendy
But a superior wardrobe investment.

These mamas of course have it covered pretty well. . . Some things I would add from my personal experience...

Lansinoh/ Lanolin

This saved my life the first 6 weeks of breastfeeding, healing my raw nipples while they got used to their new job. I recommend Lanisoh brand because it is easy to come by at places like target.

Granola Bars and Juice Boxes

You are going to be astounded at how hungry you get while breastfeeding, literally while feeding you become overwhelming hungry and thirsty. You will be stuck in bed or a chair or something and just really need something. I totally kept juice boxes and granola bars in the cosleeper pockets next to the bed. Why juice boxes? because i could pop the straw in and drink them with one hand while holding the baby.

I also loved my European Infant Bathtub, we tried the regular bath tub and the sink and DD hated that. She loved getting baths in this european style tub and i credit that with her love of taking baths to this day.

And we also still love our Wipes Warmer, they are fairly cheap and very useful for making baby comfortable during diaper changes. Works great for both disposable and cloth wipes.

I also recommend some good cloth breast pads, for leakage. Something nice and soft. Nothing disposable. And some nice cloth mama pads, you are going to need a pad for a couple of days pp and the disposable pads suck.

Also, make sure you take a Peri bottle with you from the hospital or birth center...it is perfect for washing baby hair and we used it for that up until a few months ago!

Not really needed for a new born baby, but once DS became mobile, I really wish I had a video monitor. We had no use for the traditional, sound based monitor, as we could hear him just fine. BUT around 10 months he started sleeping most of the night in his crib, and would have been helpful to know if when he was making sounds, if he was making them in his sleep or was truly awake, and going in to look in on him would wake him up. (inevitably, we do go in, because we can't see him, and he is awake by that point and has to be cuddled or nursed back to sleep. Not a bad thing, but it would have been better all around if he didn't have interrupted sleep)

As for cloth diapers, some of it will be trial and error, I think prefolds/covers (or fitteds/covers) will work on any baby, but if you want to do pockets or all in ones (these are best for daycare situations) it may take going through a few styles or brands to figure out what works best on your babe.

We didn't have a baby bathtub, we had a mesh sling seat and it is great! I even used it to have DS in the shower with me when he was a little older. (3 months or so)

A baby scale - we don't vax, so we don't see the ped as regularly as some, and I love being able to keep track of DS's weight on my own to track his growth. Again, not really a "need" per se, but DS is a lean man and it went and goes a long way to put my mind at ease.

As for clothes, everyone says, don't buy newborn stuff, they grow out of it so fast, etc. DS was not quite 7 lbs at birth, and we NEEDED newborn stuff, and had very few items. We bought and borrowed after he was born to catch up. I love sleep gowns and sleep sacs. anything with zippers, really, I don't like lots of snaps. When babies are little it isn't so bad, but as they get bigger and squirmy, it takes longer and gets more difficult to do them.

Muslin blankets (like Aiden and Anais) - great for swaddling, covering when nursing (if you want to), and as a light cover in the summer. They are huge, and will go a long way.

Do shop consignment and yardsales.

We have the Combi Cocorro convertible, and I love it as a carseat, so cushy, doesn't take up a lot of space, and fit DS well from birth, and still does at nearly 15 months. We also have a babytrend infant seat for the other car, and I have to admit is handy for restaurants and grocery stores. I really liked having both, now when this baby is born, all I need to buy is an extra base for the infant seat, since we now have convertibles in both cars.

Things I wish I hadn't bought: swing - took up too much space and DS didn/t use it much. Crib bedding - all you really need are sheets - bottle warmer (we warmed a pyrex measuring cup of water in the microwave and stuck our glass bottles in that to warm up, takes about the same amount of time) - so many disposable diapers - we used them for the first 7 months, and DS grew out of our massive stash - (don't prebuy too many in one size)

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